Automatic clutch.



PATENTED JAN'. 29, 1907.

W. COOPER. AUTOMATIC; CLUTCH. MPLICTIGN FILED JULY-14,1906.

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No. 842,630. PATENTCD JAN. 29, TCC?.

' W. COOPER.

AUTOMATIC CLUTCH. APPLICATION FILED'JULYM, 1906.

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WILLIAM cooPER, oF yDEN-VER;iconen-Ano.

AUTomATlc CLU-fon.

specincation of Letters patent.

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Applioationiiled July 14, 1906. Serial No. 326,167.

and State of Colorado, have invented or discovered. new 'and useful Improvements in Automatic Clutches',` of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of new and improved i safety devices for use in 'connection with hoisting mechanism of all kinds, such as mine or other elevating or draft machinery. A frequent accident in the use of such machinery and one fraught with great dangerito both lives and property is due tothe loss of control over the hoists, resulting in an over- Wind and dashing the cage, bucket, skip, or other hoisting receptacle against the sheave or gallows frame.' 'ln such cases thel machinery refuses torespond to the usual controlling mechanism, `andl therefore provide automatic means to release the rotating or winding power from the cable-drum or other elevating means and renderthe same idle, so that it may be readily stopped in an instant with the hand Aor other braking means assisted by the load. -I have shown mechanism `which engages the runaway cage or other hoisting-receptacle at a predetermined point and is actuated thereby, in turn automatically releasing the friction or other clutch or connecting mechanism between the power mechanism and the cable spool or corresponding device.

\ ln the accompanying draWings, Figure 1 is a general side view of a mine-shaft and hoistlng mechanism of a well-known type, shoW-.

ing my invention applied, Ythe cylinders and brake-controlling mechanism being omitted for the sake of clearness` the clutcl. being shown Hon. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the hoisting-engine shown in'Fig. 1 with the cylinders and brake omitted and the clutch on. Fig. 3 is adetail of the clutch-releasing mechanism enlarged and the clutchA being oii' and Fig. l is a similar view to Fig. 3 of one of thc many modifications of which my invention is capable, the clutch-locking device being/shown on in solid lines and oil in dotted lines.

The following is a detailed description of the drawings, which are, however, intended ,i merely to illustrate the principles of my in .vention and not to limit the scope thereof to the construction shown.

1 is the -mouth of a mine-shaft, shown in this case as a vertical shaft; but it will be understood that my invention may be equally Well applied to mines or hoists Where the shaft -or well is inclined, as in a'slope mine, or horizontal, as in a drift mine.

2 2 are the guides or rails to steady the cage or other receptacle, Which guides are shown extended bevond the mouth of the shaft for purposes to be described. A

- 3 is thel cage or other hoisting-receptacle.

the type of receptacle varying with the chai acter ofthe mine-shaft or hoists.

" 4 is the cable by means of which the cage is suspended or controlled, which cable passes over the sheave 5, mounted in the gallow s frame (not shown) and w-ound about the ca- -ble drum or spool 6 of the hoisting-engine.

Said spool is mounted loosely in the usual manner on the power-shaft 7 of the engine, to

.which it may be -operatively coupled by means of the friction-clutch, to be described.

8 is an annular lip or flange on the side of spool 6, against which the friction-blocks 9 9 are caused to bear when the clutch is thrown on. blocks are mounted. One end of said band 10 is secured to member 11, which is rigidly attached to disk 12, which rotates with shaft 7. The other endof said band is pivotally attached-.to the outerarm of bell-crank lever vsf 1() is the clutch-band on which said 13, which is pivoted at its angle by means or".

which is adapted to be reciprocated in guides 16 16, attached to disk 12.

17 is a coimecting-rod pivoted at one end to slide 15 and at the other end to thimble 18, which is slidably mounted on shaft 7 and rotates therewith.

19 is an annular groove in thimble 18, in which are seated antifriction-rollers 20 20 which are mounted on the free ends of standards 21 21, which are rigidly mounted on rock-shaft 22. Rock-shaft 22 is preferably suitably mounted or journaled in the engine vbed-frame, as at 23 and 24.

25 is a bifurcated arm rigidly attached to rock-shaft 22, to the outer end of whichis ivoted connecting-rod 26, whose lower end IOO 1s pivoted to the arm 27, rigidly attached to i gine bed-frame;

. 29' is a hand-lever rigidly attached at its 3.

lower end to rock-shaft 28 and provided 'with locking-latch mechanism 30.

31 is a locking-quadrant 4which is pivoted at one end, as at 32, to the stationary frame 33, 'the other end of said quadrant being free to swing, so that its teeth may be dropped out of engagementwith latchBO. 34 is'a bell-crank lever pivoted at 35 to' the engine-frame and havingits upper arm pivotally'connected to the free end of quadrant 31 The lowerv by means of connecting-rod 36. arm of said bell-crank lever 34 is pivoted to connecting-rod 37, running forward under the engine and pivotally connected at its forward end to one arm of the bell-.crank lever 38, which is" itself pivoted at a fixed point, as

'39, adjacent t the shaft-mouth.

40 lsalever or kicker7 pivoted to one of the guides v2 or the gallows-frame and adapted to be engaged and knocked aside by the ascending cage. The location of said kicker above the mouth ofthe shaft is at asuflicient elevation that it is not engaged by the cage in the ordinaryv operation of loading and unloading, but is only struck by said cage when a runaway occurs and an overwind is threat! ened. 41 is a connecting-rod having its upper .end ivoted'to the outer end of kicker 40 and its ower end pivoted to an arm of bell-crank lever 38. Y i' It isevident that when the kicker 40 is struck andv operated by :the ascending cage the outer end of said kicker will be depressed, likewise depressing theleft'arm of bell-crank lever 38, as the same is shown, drawing forward connecting-rod37, likewise depressing the freeend of quadrant 31,`thus dropping its teeth out of engagement with spring-latch 30 of hand-lever 29,`.thus releasing said lever.

44 is an armrigidly attached to shaft 28 f and .provided with a counterbalance-weightl 45,- which serves -to throw lever 29. toward the left, as shown, thus when the quadrant is dropped, as above descr ed, rotating 'shaft 28 toward the engine :ich action'rocks shaft 22- away from .12, ,drawing outwardly the standards 2.12-1 and with them the thimble 18 along the shaft 7. This motion of said thimble will draw inwardly slide 15 and with it the inner arm of bell-crank lever 13,'-thus vreleasing the friction-biocks 9 Vfromclose engagement with Hange 8 on the cable-drum, and thus releasing said 'drum Afrom the rotating powerand rendering it' idle. 1

v"It isl thus evident that the ascension of the cage to a redetermined point automatically .throws o the clutch from the cable-drum -and allows the same'to become idle, so thatit maybe readily brought to'a prompt stop by the'use of the hand-brake or other' suitable mechanism.

vIn Fig. 4 I show one of the numerous variations of which this embodiment of my'invention is'capable. In this-case the quad?l rant isarranged with teeth on its under side, and when the'clutch is to be thrown off the automatic mechanism operated by the runaway cage acts to raise. the quadrant out of engagement with the spring-latch 30, which. is also in the reverse position shown. Other-- wise the operation is substantially the same as above described.

It is evident from the above that mysafety device -is entirely automatic in its `action, which is positive and instantaneously releases the cable-drum or corresponding mechanism from its operative connection with the power mechanism. I have shown my invention installedin connection with a well-known type of steam hoisting-.engine but its applic ability to any other type or to gas or explosive en gines, electric motors, or any other character `of power mechanism' is self-evident. Whatever may be the character of operative con nection between the powermechanism and the elevating machinery my invention may be readily arranged to automatical y sever such connection in case of a runaway or other accident or in general use, ifdesired.

Many variations and modifications will= suggest themselves. to one skilled in the art, 95

which, however, l regard as'rightfully'within thev scope of my invention and therefore claim broadly'` p 1. Inhoists, a hoisting-receptacle, a cabindrumf-a power-shaft, a clutch interposed between said drum and said shaft, a lever co'ntrolling lsaid clutch and provided with a IOO spring-latch, a swinging quadrant adapted to be engaged bysaid latch, a bell-crank lever pivotally connected to said quadrant andv means wherebythe said receptacle in passing z. given point rocks said bell-crank lever.

2. In hoists, a hoisting-receptacle, a cabledrum, a power-shaft, a clutch interposed between said drum and said shaft, a lockable e lever controlling said clutch, a lockingquadrant, pivoted to swing and adapted to engage said lever, a bell-crank lever pivotally'connected to said quadrant and means whereby the c 'id' receptacle in passing a' given point rocks seid bell-crank lever.

3. In l1oists,a hoisting-receptacle, a cablei drum, a power-shaft,.a clutch interposed between said drum and said shaft, a lever controlling said clutch, a lockingquadrant adapted to engage said lever, said quadrant being pivote-d to swing, a bell-crank lever pivotally connected with said quadrant, a kicker adapted to be engaged by said receptacleand means wherebysaid engagement rocks saidl bell-crank lever.

4. In hoists, a-lioisting-receptacle, a powershaft, a cable-drum loosely mounted on said shaft, a fricti0n-clutch interposed between said shaft and said drinn, a controlling-lever connected with said clutch, a pivoted lockingquadrant ad apted to look said lever stationary, a bell-crank lever pivotally connected to said quadrant, a second bell-crank lever, a connecting-rod between said bell-crank le vers, :L kicker adapted to be engaged by said 1o receptacle and operative connection between said kicker and said second bell-crank lever. Signed at Denver, Colorado, this 7th day of July,4 1906.

WILLIAM COOPER. Titnesses M. H. SWEET, J. R. HALDEMAX. 

